Electrically-operated railway-track switch.



PATENTED NOV. 22, 1904.

G. H. FRETTS.

ELEGTRIGALLY OPERATED RAILWAY TR'AGK SWITCH.

APPLIOATION'FILED JAN. 20. 1904.

1.. w 0, if u y 3 @QQ L NV @Tm MVN .wwfm a. 6 s @A m (Q. N uN. m. NN EAQN wwmvwww mu WS m w No. 775,529. PATENTED NOV. 22, 1904.

G. H. FRETTS. f .ELEGTRCALLY OPERATED RAILWAY TRAGK SWITCH.

APPLIUATIQN FILED JAN. 20, 1 904.

N0 MODEL. SSEEET-SHEET Z.

No. 775,529. PATENTED Nov. z2, 1904.

G. H. FRETTS. ELBGTRICALLY OPERATED RAILWAY TRACK SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2b. 1904.

NO MODEL. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED STATES Patented November 22, 1904.

GEORGE H. FRETTS, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

ELECTFlCALLY-OPERATED RAILWAY-TRACK SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 775,529, dated November22, 1904.

Application led January 20, 1904. Serial No. 189,845. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. FRn'rTs, a citizen of the United States,residing at Springiield, in the county of Hampden and State ofMassachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements inElectrically-Operated Railway-Track Switches, of which the following isa specication.

This invention relates to electrically-operated railway-track switches.

The object of the invention is ina ready, simple, positive, andthoroughly practical manner to shift a track-switch when it is desiredJfor the car to pass from the main to a side track or when turning offupon another street; to effect automatic shifting of the trolley fromthe main trolley-Wire to a wire following the side track; to reducedanger of derangement of the operating mechanism to a minimum; tosimplify the construction of the parts in such manner as to-permit ofready repairs in case of damage; positively to preclude entrance of dustor moisture to the casing or boxing containing the switch-operatingmechanism, thereby to insure certain operation at all times; to insurepassage of current to the conductors in the event' that a fuse burnsout, thereby preventing a stoppage of trafic, and generally to improvethe construction and manner of operation of devices of this character.

With the above and other objects in view,

as will appear as the nature of the inventionl lcharacters of referenceindicate corresponding parts, there is illustrated one form ofembodiment of the invention capable of carrying the same into practicaloperation, it being understood that the elements therein exhibited maybe varied or changed as to shape, proportion, and exact manner ofassemblage `without departing from the spirit thereof,

and in these drawings- Figure l is a view in plan in the nature of adiagram exhibiting the system for actuating the track-switch. Fig. 2 isan enlarged detail sectional view of the box containing thetrack-switch-actuating mechanism. Fig. 3 is a sectional detail view ofthe means employed for excluding the entrance of dust or water throughthe boxing of the track-switch-actuating mechanism. Fig. 4 is a view inplan of the mechanism for actuating the trolleyswitch. Fig. 5 is atransverse sectional View taken on the line 5 of Fig. 4, showing certainof the mechanism for switching the trolley not shown in Fig. 4. Figs. 6and 7 are views inside and front elevation, respectively, of anarrangement of current-switches which may be employed where a fuse burnsout and which is employed to turn the current onto the line, and thusprevent stoppage of traflic.

Referring to the drawings and to Fig. l thereof, 1 designates the maintrack, and 2 a siding or track running to another street. Arranged onthe track-bed in any suitable manner is a frogplate 3, in which ispivoted a switch-tongue 4 of the usual or any preferred construction,said tongue being carried by an actuating-bar 5, (shown in Fig. 2,)which works in a transverse groove or slot cut in the frog-plate and isprovided with a recess 6 to receive the switchbar, as clearly shown inFig. 2, a set-screw 7, entering the end of the bar and bearing againstthe switch-tongue, serving positively to clamp the latter in positionand holding it from riding upward. The bar is housed within a casing 8,preferably of cast-iron, which is sunk into the ground in the usualmanner adjacent to the main track l and is closed at its upper end by acap 9, suitable packing l() being interposed between the cap or lid 9and the upper edge of the casing to render the latter impervious to theentrance of water or dust from above. The bar 5, as shown in detail inFig. 3, Works in a stuffing-box 1l, bolted or otherwise suitably securedto the inner side of the casing, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, and isinternally threaded for a portion of its length to receive a gland 12,between the inlet of which and the wall oi' the stuffing-box isinterposedasuitable packing 13, Which is adapted closely to im ping'ethe bar 5, and thus further to preclude the entrance of moisture or dirtto the entrance of the casing. It will be understood, of course, thatthe frictional contact of the packing and the bar will not be suiiicientto interfere with the proper operation of the bar in actuating theswitch.

The casing 8, which is preferably a castiron structure, is provided atits lower end with a boss 14, provided in its upper face with a socket15, in which rests a brass thimble 16, the same being an inverted conein elevation and being provided at its upper end with a circumferentialiiange 17 for the purpose of reinforcing the structure and also topresent a means for holding the thimble rigid within the casing. Withinthis thimble is mounted van armature 18, the lower end of which bearsupon the bottom of the thimble, and the upper end is transversely oricedto receive the bar 5, and on each side of the armature and Aat asuitable distance therefrom is arranged a collar 19, and between each ofthe collars and one side of the armature is arranged a spring 20, whichis coiled about the bar, the said springs operating as bue'rs to shield'the switch-tongue from violent contact with the Wall of the frog-platewhen shifted.' While it is preferred to employ these springs for thepurpose defined, it is to be understood that the invention is not to belimited thereto, as if preferred, the bar may be threaded on each sideof the armature and nuts may -be arranged on the threaded portions, thusto hold the armature from movement independent of the bar.

Arranged within the casing are two electromagnets 21 and 22, the cores23 of which have secured to their terminals soft-iron heads 24 and 25,the latter heads serving to hold the thimble in position, as clearlyshown in Fig. 2, The thimble being' of diamagnetic material will causethe armature to become deenergized as soon as the current is turned offfrom the magnets. VIn addition to this function the thimble prevents anyparticles, such as insulation or small particles or cement, from fallinginto the recess occupied by the armature. The heads 24 and 25 arerigidly connected with the inner walls of the casing through the mediumof brace-bars 26, which are approximately Z shape in plan, and theflanges thereof are bolted to the inner Walls of the casing' and to thesaid heads, as shown in Fig. 2.

One side of the casing is provided with a section of tubing 27, throughwhich the wires pass for energizing the magnets. The mag- It will beseen that when the cement is hardened this in conjunction with thebraces 26 will operate posi tivelyto hold the magnets against anyvibration or movement in use.

The trolley-switch (designated generally by 30 and shown in Figs. 4 and5) is the same as that constituting the subject-matter of theapplication filed by me in the United States Patent Office July 14,1903, Serial No. 165,486, and is constructed as follows: Supported atthe proper distance above the track is a switchplate 31, the same whenviewed in plan being approximately trapezoidal an d provided along Iitsedges with iianges 32, the function of which Supported upon the plate inany suitable.

manner, in this instance by a series of standards 37, is asolenoid-magnet 38, the core 39 of which has its lower end bifurcated,and pivotally mounted in the crotch thus formed is the upper end of alink 40, the lower end of which has connected with it one end of an arm41, the other end of which is rigid with a shaft 42, journaled in kneesor brackets 43, secured to the upper side of the plate. Rigid with theshaft 42 at the end opposite the arm 41 and extending at rightanglesthereto is IOO an arm 44, the lower end of which has pivotally connectedwith it one end of a link 45, the other end of which is pivotallyconnected with a stud 46, secured to the switchftongue 33, the said studbeing movable in a slot 47, cut through the plate. rlhe switch-tongue33, as shown in Fig. l, is tapered and is pivotally connected at 48 tothe under side of the plate.

The circuit through the solenoid is completed through conductors 49 and50, the conductor 49 being connected with one terminal of the winding ofthe magnet and with the plate and the conductor 50 being connected withthe other terminal of the winding of the magnet and with the mainconductor 35 adjacent to the insulating-block 34.

The conductors are disposed some distance below the under face of theplate, this arrangement being adapted in order to avoid any sparkingwhen the trolley passes from the conductor onto the plate or from theplate back to the conductor. The distance that the conductor is disposedbelow the under side of the plate corresponds to the distance from thebase of the groove of the trolley-wheel to the periphery of the flangesthereof.v

branch conductor diverges toward anothel1v street the two conductors 35and 36 include an insulator 51 and 51, respectively, the insulator 51being included in the conductor 35 and the insulator 51a in theconductor 36, so that the conductors between the plate 3l and theinsulators are insulated, and thus normally dead. To supply current tothe conductors 35 and 36 beyond the insulators 51 and 51, the usualfeed-wires employed in trolley-lines may be utilized; but if these arenot present the current may be conveyed around the switch-plate 31 by ashunt-wire 52, tapped into the conductor 52 and into either of theconductors 35 or 36, in this instance into the conductor 36, theshunt-wire being looped around the switch-plate, as shown in Fig. 1.

The means for energizing the magnets 21 and 22 comprise three conductors53, 54, and 55. The conductor 53 is tapped into the conductor 35 on theouter side and adjacent to the insulator 51 and is connected with bothof the magnets. The conductor 54 is tapped into the conductor 36 on theinner side of and adjacent to the insulator 51 and is connectedwith themagnet 23. The conductor 55 is tapped into the conductor 35 on the innerside of and adjacent to the insulator 51 and is connected with themagnet 22.

rlhe operation of the .trolley-switch described is as follows: Theswitch-tongue 33 is normally in position to cause the trolley to passfrom the main conductor to the branch conductor, so that if theapproaching car desires to pass to the branch conductor theswitch-tongue remains at rest, and this is effected by the motormancutting off the current of the motor and permitting the trolley to coastover the switch-plate. If, however, it is intended for the trolley toremain on the main line, the motorman will allow the current to remainon the motor, and as soon as the trolley-wheel touches the switch-platethe circuit is completed through the conductor 52, conductors 49 and 50,and through the solenoid-magnet, thereby energizing the latter andcausing its core to lift, rock the shaft 42, and thus throw theswitch-tongue to the appropriate position. As soon as the trolley passesfrom the plate onto the trolley-wire the magnet is denergized and thecore drops to its normal position.

rlhe operation of the track-switch is as follows: Should the motormandesire to remain on the straight or main track 1, the power is retainedon the motor until the car pa'sses the trolley-switch 30, which willcause the trolleywheel to pass onto the conductor 35. The path of thecurrent under these conditions is as follows: from the conductor 35 tothe conductor 53, to the magnet 22, to conductor 55, to conductor 35, tothe trolley-wheel, to the motor,

and to the ground, completing' the circuit, and

thus energizing' the magnet 22, causing the lat ter to attract thearmature 18, thereby projecting the bar 5 and shifting the switch-tongueto the position shown in Fig. 2, under which arrangement the car willremain upon the main track. When theselatter operations are talringplace with the track-switch, the switchtongue 33 will be shifted in themanner described to cause the trolley-wheel to pass from theswitch-plate 31 to the conductor 35 and thence onward. Should it bedesired to switch the car to the side track, the power is cut off fromthe motor before it approaches the switch-plate 31, and the car will, byits own impetus, pass by the switch-plate and the trolley-wheel willpass to the conductor 36. After the car has passed the switch-plate 31and has brought the trolley-wheel into engagement with the conductor 36power is then applied to the motor and the path of the current is asfollows: from the conductor 35 to the conductor 53, to the magnet 23, tothe conductor 54, to the conductor 36, to the trolley-wheel, to themotor, and to the ground, thus completing the circuit. By energizing themagnet 23 the armature 18 is drawn over to the said magnet and the bar 5is retracted from its original position to bring the switchtongue to theposition to cause the wheels of the car to pass onto the branch track.It is to be understood that power is always to be applied to the motorwhile the trolleywheel is in contact with either of the conductors 35 or36. Stopping or starting while upon the said conductors on that portionbetween the switch-plate 31 and the insulators 51 and 51 will have noeffect whatever in operating the switch-tongue 4; but as long as thecurrent is upon the motor the said tongue is held firmly to whicheverposition it is moved, thereby rendering it impossible for the forwardtrucks to move the tongue slightly, as by leverage, and thereby permitthe rear trucks to take the wrong track. This frequently happens to longdouble-truck cars, resulting in loss of time and heavy expense forrepairs to the cars and motors. It will also be seen from the foregoingthat the motorman has absolutely no control over the track-switch, aseach trolley-wire has separate magnet connections which will alwaysoperate the switch correctly.

If from any cause the fuse should burn out, until another fuse can bepositioned the conductors 35 and 36 would be dead, so that a car on thesection of track between the switchplate 31 and the insulators 51 and 51could not move. To obviate this, there is a novel form of current-switchemployed. (Shown in detail in Figs. 6 and 7.)

The device embodies a switch-box 56, which is suitably secured to thetrolley-pole 57, supporting the trolley-wires, and is provided with adoor 58 to permit ready access to the IOO IIO

interior. Within the box is secured a slate switchboard 59, suitablysecured to the back of the box. Carried by the said switchboard is asingle-post switch 60, to which is connected the conductor 53. Theswitchboard 59 is spaced from the 'back of the box to present a wire andair-space 61, as clearly shown in Fig. 6. The switch 60 is provided withthe usual posts 62 and 63, and disposed adjacent to the posts 63 is aplate 64, having two sets of posts 65 to be engaged by a doublepostswitch 66, said switch being adapted to engage with the posts 65 or withsimilar posts 67 for a purpose that will presently appear. The posts 63are electrically connected with the plate 64 by a wire 68, and the plate64 is provided with a fuse-stud 69, to which is connected one end of alfuse 70, which in this instance represents atluee-,hundred-andiifty-ampere fuse. The lower end of the fuse 70 isconnected with a fuse-stud 71, and to the latter stud is connected theconductor 53. Under the arrangement shown it will be observed that whenthe switches are i'n proper position the current will pass through theconductor 53, through the switch 60, fuse 70,A

and to the conductor 53, which, in conjunction with the conductors 54and 55, pass out through the bottom oi' a switch-box through a tubing72. The conductor 53 is shown as entering the casing at the top; but, ifdesired, it may come out through the bottom of the boxing, as indicatedby dotted lines in Fig. 7. The two arms of the double switch areconnected by a fiber cross-head 73 or other suitable insulating'material, the arms of the switch 66 being suitably pivoted between posts74, to which are connected the conductors 54 and 55. It will be observedby reference to Fig. 7 that the conductors 54 and 55 are connected withthe switch 66, said conductors, as before statedbeing in electricalconnection with the magnets 21 and 22, while the conductor 53 is inelectrical connection with the switch 60. This arrangement is employedto obviate danger in replacinga fuse while standing on the ground. Byconnecting the two posts 65 with a suitable conductor, such as thecopper or brass bar 64, it is immaterial Sotwhich ol' the conductors 35or 36 'is in use.

When the ground connections are cut out, the current will be applied asfollows: from the conductor 35 to the conductor 53, to the switch 60,through the connections 62, to the posts 63, to the wire 68, to thecontact 76, to the plate 64, to both of the posts 65, to the switch 66,to the switch-posts 74, to the conductors 54 or 55, and to theconductors 35 and 36, as the case may be. When the magnets 22 and 23 areenergized, the current is supplied as follows: from the conductor 35 tothe conductor 53, to the switch 60, to the posts 63, to the wire 68, tothe plate 64, to the fusestud 69, to the fuse 70, to the fuse-stud 7l,to the conductor 53, and thence to one of the magnets 2l or 22, to theconductor 54 or' 55, to the posts 67, to the switch-arms 66, to theswitch-arm posts 74, to the conductor 54 or 55, and thence to theconductor 35 or 36. The switch-box is lined with asbestos or otherrefractory material to prevent destruction of the box should the fuseburn out.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that provision is madefor automatically and positively shifting the trolley-switchsynchronously with the shifting of the switchtongue, so that theoperation of the parts will be positive, avoid possibility of damageeither to the system or to the rolling-stock, which would inevitablyresult if the front wheels of the truck were to pass onto a side trackwhile the rear wheels remain on the main track, such as frequentlyhappens.

All of the parts of the invention are constructed and combined in suchmanner as to insure certainty of operation and readiness of repair incase of injury.

The cap 9 of the casing 8 is suitably bolted in place, and is thus heldagainst easy removal from unauthorized persons who might d esiretotamper with the switch-operating mechanism within the casing.

It is to be understood that the adoption of the present invention willnot necessitate any change in the structural arrangement of the car, asthe invention is adapted for -use on any railway system employingoverhead or underground trolleys, the only change in the trolley-linebeing the inclusion of the switch and its operating mechanism and withthe track, the suitable placing of the box-casing 8 and its containedmechanism for operating the switch-tongue.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is l. In an apparatusof the class described, insulated conductors, a trolley-switch supportedthereby and insulated therefrom, electrical trolley -switch-actuatingmechanism adapted to be energized by a current established through thetrolley, electricaltrackswitch-actuating' mechanism, and means forcausing the lattermechanisrn to become energized simultaneously with thetrolley-switchactuating mechanism when the insulated conductor-sectionsare energized by the trolley.

2. In an apparatus of the class described, insulated sections orconductors, a trolleyswitch supported thereby, a track-switch, anarmature connected by interposed mechanism with the switch,lelectromagnets between which the armature is mounted, and means forelectrically operating the trolley-switch and thereby simultaneouslyenergizing the electromagnets to cause them to'actuate the track-switchsynchronously with the trolleyswitch.

3. In an apparatus of the class described., a pair of insulatedconductors, trolley-switchactuating mechanism supported thereby, a

IOO

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track-switch, an armature operatively connected with the latter switch,electromagnets disposed on each side of the armature, and connectionsbetween the insulated sections of the conductors and the live porti onof one ofthe conductors and the electromagnets, said conductors beingadapted to be energized by the passing oi' the trolley to actuate thetrolleyswitch and track-switch simultaneously.

4. In an apparatus of the class described, a casing, spacedelectromagnets therein, a thimble between the electromagnets, anarmature loosely7 mounted within the thimble, a rod operativelyconnected with the armature, and a track-switch held in engagement withthe rod.

5. In an apparatus of the class described, electromagnets, and means forenergizing the same, a thimble of diamagnetic material interposedbetween the electromagnets, an armature loosely mounted within thethimble, a bar passing through the upper end of the armature, atrack-switch connected with the bar, and means for cushioning the baragainst excessive jar.

6. In an apparatus of the class described, a casing provided at itslower end with a socketed boss, a thimble mounted in the socket of theboss,electromagnets rigidly mounted within the casing and spaced by thethimble, an armature having its lower end resting in the bottom of thethimble andits upper end provided with a transverse orifice, a barengaging the orifice of the armature and carrying cushioning means, astuiiing-box through which the bar passes, a track-switch engaging theouter portion of the bar, and means for clamping the switch to the bar.

7. In an apparatus oi' the class described, a casing, and means forhermetically sealing the same, electromagnets rigidly secured Within thecasing, energizing means connected with the magnets, a thimble disposedbetween the electromagnets, an armature having its lower end resting insaid thimble, a bar passing through the upper end of the armature,springs disposed on each side of the armature and operating to cushionthe same, and a trackswitch connected with the outer end yof the bar.

8. In an apparatus of the class described, a track-switch-actuatingelement embodying a bar provided with a recess to receive thetrack-switch, an adjusting-screw extending into said recess, and avertically-disposed loosely-supported armature for actuating the bar.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

GEORGE H. FRETTS. Witnesses Gmo. A. LEIB, B. K. FRE'rTs.

